The Way of the Dodo- The Streets
Oakland Cafe Owner bans laptops in hopes people will socialize.
This is sad. Cafes and Coffee shops were created as a place to interact and talk to people. They were places to enjoy a drink and conversation. Wake up people, unless you want to be a stupid drone that has no real-life awareness.
In the year 2010, a cafe must ban the use of laptops in the hopes of bringing back real. If you think about how coffee shops and cafes are used now, it’s absolutely ridiculous.
I’m going to dissect coffee shops and the psychology behind them.
Today, people will often go to a coffee shop to study or get work done. They’ll bring their books, papers, or laptops and chill for awhile. Coffee shops are not normally the quietest places. The latte machines are churning; people are constantly entering and leaving. They are often cramped. They simply aren’t great places to get work done, so why do people work at these types of establishments?
A few of those people may have dumbass roommates, annoying roommates that have no respect. I understand that, but most roommates are respectful enough to be quieter than a coffee shop. You can go to a library if you really want a good place to work.
Maybe it’s because the drinks are really good. Coffee shops normally brew better coffee than people can at home. It makes sense to buy coffee (some would argue), but wouldn’t you rather bring it to your library or home if you want to get work done? Some people do this, but the rest decide to set up camp at a table and sprawl out their work.
So what’s the real reason people work at coffee shops for? For the same reason people have always been going to coffee shops, to be around other people. What’s screwed up now is that people don’t give a shit about interacting. People will often sit next to each other, and never acknowledge each other.
Humans have an innate need to be around other people. We are social creatures that enjoy being around other humans. We need company. Company is so important to us that it comforts us just to be in a room with other people, even if there is no interaction whatsoever. This is what coffee shops are turning into. Places of social comfort that have no social interaction. Ridiculous.
Maybe you’re someone that believes coffee shops have a great “atmosphere” to get work done in. Bullshit. First off, most coffee shops have the same neutral, natural looking tones as the next one down the block. Saying a coffee shop has “atmosphere” is just an excuse to be at a place where you have the company of others.
This article made me think what our future as a society holds for us. If we continue to sink deeper into the clutter of technology, what real experience will be left? Our generation is beginning to make people think and act like the very technology we use.
It’s year 2010. Imagine what coffee shops and cafes will look like in 2020 or 2030. If we don’t acknowledge the importance of real interaction today, then you can kill me now because I’m not down with becoming a drone. I know it’s weird, but I enjoy interacting with people in real life.
Stuff. 